The American Revolution
Turning Points of the War
4.3
Focus Question?
• What factors helped the Patriots win the
war?
The Opposing Sides
• Britain seemed to have great advantages over
the colonies at the start of the war.
• The Patriots needed to overcome a powerful
empire with nearly four times their population.
(The Colonists were: 20% Loyalists plus 20% slaves plus many who
remained neutral)
Odds Were Against the Patriots
Britain was :
• Well-organized, long
established government.
•
Produced many more
ships and weapons.
•
British troops were well
trained and supplied.
Colonists:
• Continental Congress just
starting out.
•
The Continental Congress
had no money nor
authority to tax.
•
Continental soldiers were
cold, hungry, and poorly
equipped
The British Make Mistakes
•In 1775, the British did not
take the Patriots seriously.
•The British battle tactics
were unsuited for fighting in
America.
•The hiring of brutal Hessian
mercenaries angered
colonists.
•The British failed to see
that the real struggle was
for the hearts and minds
of the citizens.
Battle of Bunker Hill
• British Commander William Howe made a
costly mistake at Bunker Hill.
• To show British invincibility he ordered a
frontal assault up a hill on the Patriots.
• The Redcoats first two charges failed but
eventually they took the hill, but they suffered
heavy casualties.(2-1)
• The Patriots won a psychological victory.
• In January 1776, Colonel
Henry Knox arrived with
cannons to reinforce the
Patriots in Boston.
• His men hauled the cannons
100 miles from upstate NY
where Ethan Allen’s men
captured them at Fort
Ticonderoga
• Patriots shelled both Boston
& the Harbor, forcing the
British to leave the city.
British Misunderstood the Conflict
• The British thought they were fighting a
traditional European War.
• They believe the Patriots would surrender if
Lord Howe could defeat the Continental Army
& capture major seaports, including
Philadelphia.
• The British actually accomplished these goals
but still lost the war.
The Patriot’s Strength
• George Washington
didn’t win many battles
but he kept the
Continental Army
intact.
• He only fought when
conditions were
favorable.
• He inspired his men
despite extreme
hardship.
•His small but committed Army hung together despite
casualties, hunger, & disease.
•Washington's Continental Army allowed local militia’s to
suppress Loyalists in the countryside.
Colonists Endure Hard Times
• The Continental Congress could only pay farmers and
soldiers with paper money (continentals), causing
inflation.
• The British blockade meant shortages of goods. Some
profiteers sold items at inflated prices.
• Washington’s troops spent the cold winter of 1777-78
at Valley Forge. There was disease and hunger; a third
of the men were without shoes or coats.
The War Shifts
• The British under the command of General
Howe capture NYC in Sept. of 1776.
• 30,000 British & German troops devastated
the continental army.
• On Christmas night, Washington crossed the
Delaware River surprising 1,000 German
mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton.
• This modest victory raised the spirits of the
Patriots and kept the revolution going.
Military Turning Points
• At the Battle of
Princeton( 1777), Gen.
Washington defeated
Gen. Charles Cornwallis.
• However, Washington
suffered more defeats
than victories in 1777
and eventually lost
Philadelphia.
• .
• British General Burgoyne marched the British
army from Canada into the Hudson Valley.
• Falling into a Patriot trap at Saratoga,
Burgoyne surrendered.
• This victory suggested that the American’s
might actually win the war.
• This victory also helped to secure European
allies.
European Allies
• Benjamin Franklin persuaded France to send supplies
and, after Saratoga, troops and a navy.
• French nobleman Marquis de Lafayette volunteered
to help Washington.
• Baron Von Steuben, a German, volunteered to train
and drill Washington’s men in 1777.
• The Spanish in New Orleans kept the British
from entering the Mississippi River in 1779.
Women Play an Important Role
• Wives and daughters made
blankets, clothing, and shoes
for soldiers.
• Some wives followed the men
into battle, cooking, washing
clothes, and maintaining the
camp.
• At Monmouth, Mary Hayes,
known as “Molly Pitcher,” was
said to have replaced her
fallen husband at a cannon
Mary Ludwig Hayes McCauley is buried at Old Cemetery, Carlisle,
Pennsylvania. She was the most famous “Molly Pitcher” of the
American Revolution, a nickname for women who carried water to
the troops during the war.
Continental Army Faces Challenges
• During the winter of 1777, Washington's army
survived horrible conditions outside
Philadelphia in a camp in Valley Forge.
• The soldiers suffered from a lack of supplies
and food. Reports claim nearly 10,000 soldiers
had no coats or shoes.
Valley Forge
• Despite the hardships, the soldiers improved
from careful drilling by German volunteer,
Baron Von Steuben.
• Despite winning most of
the battles, the British
had gained little.
• Outside of NYC, the
British really had no
control.
• They decided for head
south.
The Frontier War
• Most Native American sided with the British who did
not want their land, this made the war very difficult
for the Patriots.
• Colonel George Rogers Clark led a Patriot militia of
roughly 175 men and French Allies took several
British posts in the Northwest.
• In 1779, the British and the Iroquois attacked
outposts in northern New York.